Troy Tulowitzki didn’t have to say a word. The cast articulated the numbing news — the Rockies’ shortstop will miss at least six weeks with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist.
“I was out with my family, and I noticed that he had texted me earlier in the day. My first thought was, ‘Oh (expletive),’ ” first baseman Todd Helton said. “It’s a major blow. You are talking about losing your best player. Somehow, we have to find a way to get through this.”
Minnesota reliever Alex Burnett drilled Tulowitzki during the eighth inning of Thursday’s victory. Tulo-witzki remained in the game, and initial X-rays didn’t reveal a break. But Tulowitzki woke up with shooting pain in his wrist, an ominous sign that something was wrong.
A follow-up exam showed the fracture, specifically a bone that had chipped. There was initial concern that season-ending surgery might be required, but there was no ligament damage.
Tulowitzki was thankful for those passing on well-wishes but respectfully declined comment Friday after visiting briefly with teammates.
“He was down in the dumps, and understandably so,” manager Jim Tracy said. “He’s one of those players you hate to lose for any amount of time. It’s a punch in the gut.”
The 25-year-old was off to the best start of his career, poised to earn an all-star berth after hitting .306 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs. He also led all major-league shortstops in nearly every significant fielding category, including putouts (124) and double plays (55).
“He’s an emotional leader. He brings so much energy,” Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez said. “We are going to miss him. But baseball is about being a team. We need other people to step up.”
With Tulowitzki out indefinitely — “I know they say it will be six weeks, but knowing Tulo I expect it to be four,” Helton said — Clint Barmes shifted to shortstop, Jonathan Herrera started at second and 2004 first-round draft pick Chris Nelson was called up to provide depth.
“I am not going to be Tulo. I know that. But I know I can play shortstop and find a way to help the team until he comes back,” said Barmes, who will get most of the starts at shortstop but could move back to second to provide some playing time for Nelson.
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said he will explore the trade market while monitoring the performance of Nelson and Herrera. Kazuo Matsui, employed in Triple-A, wasn’t considered for a promotion because of his ongoing offensive issues.
“This is unfortunate. But they aren’t going to stop the season because of it. We have to hang in there,” O’Dowd said. “We have dealt with a lot of adversity. It just feels like one of those years where we are going to have to find a way to survive.”
Tulowitzki has said repeatedly that his 2008 left quad injury, which knocked him out for seven weeks, was the best thing that ever happened to him. It led to introspection, stronger faith and a reordering of his fitness regime and personal relationships. Married and in the best shape of his life, Tulowitzki showed maturity this season in how he coped with a challenging April.
After hitting just one home run in the first month, he has clubbed eight and driven in 21 runs since May 1 while filling the cleanup and third spots in the lineup. Carlos Gonzalez is likely to drop into the three hole beginning tonight when he returns from a slight knee injury.
“First off, you don’t replace a guy like Tulo,” first baseman Jason Giambi said. “But maybe it can be the jolt the lineup needs, that it’s time to get it going. We have a lot of good players here. So we should be able to hold it down until Tulo comes back.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
